Cryptocurrency fervor, natural disasters, global political unrest...it's safe to say that 2017 was a memorable year. It also brought a series of major milestones for the financial markets — and today, we're recapping them all on OneBite.

The third quarter of 2017 saw equity and fixed-income markets continue their upward momentum, both here in the U.S. and abroad. It has been a banner year thus far for risk assets, by most measures. In September, the Federal Reserve announced a much-anticipated plan to begin the unwinding of its balance sheet (starting in October) and stood pat on interest rates. This news was digested with little market agitation. Overall, the third quarter was relatively smooth in terms of volatility, despite devastating hurricanes and escalating political tensions around North Korea.